1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a map display control apparatus that controls map display, a map information update apparatus, a map information update system and control methods thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are car navigation systems in the known art that achieve a function of displaying a roadmap of an area around the current vehicle position, a function of calculating a recommended route from the start point to a destination, a function of providing route guidance based upon the calculated recommended route and the like.
However, there is a problem with such a car navigation system in that the necessity to assure safe driving limits its operation while driving the vehicle and thus, a desired map cannot always be displayed in the moving vehicle. There is an information providing system in the known art that connects a user (customer) car navigation system to a center-side system through a data mode of a digital portable telephone (PDC: Personal Digital Cellular) and provides various types of information available at the center-side system to the user.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a map display control apparatus, a map information update apparatus and a map information update system capable of achieving a desired map display by utilizing an information providing system or the like and also relates to control methods thereof.
A map display control apparatus comprises: a map display control unit that controls a display device so as to display a map on the display device based upon map display data; a communication control unit that connects with another control apparatus via a digital mobile telephone system to engage in exchange of digital data; a map information transmission unit that transmits information related to the map currently displayed on the display device to the other control apparatus via the communication control unit; and a map information reception unit that receives information related to the map updated by the other control apparatus from the other control apparatus via the communication control unit, wherein: the map display control unit controls the display device so as to update the map displayed on the display device based upon the updated information related to the map received at the map information reception unit.
A map information update apparatus comprises: a communication control unit that connects via a digital mobile telephone system with a map display control apparatus, which controls a display device so as to display a map on the display device based upon map display data, to engage in exchange of digital data; a map information update reception unit that receives information related to the map currently displayed on the display device from the map display control apparatus via the communication control unit; a map display update data base unit that stores map display data for update related to the map display data utilized by the map display control apparatus; a map information update unit that updates the information related to the map by using the map display data related to the map display data utilized by the map display control apparatus; and an updated map information transmission unit that transmits the information related to the map updated by the map information update unit to the map display control apparatus via the communication control unit.
A map information update system comprises: a map display control apparatus; and a map information update apparatus. And the map display control apparatus comprises: a map display control unit that controls a display device so as to display a map on the display device based upon map display data; a communication control unit that connects with the map information update apparatus via a digital mobile telephone system to engage in exchange of digital data; a map information transmission unit that transmits information related to the map currently displayed on the display device to the map information update apparatus via the communication control unit; and a map information reception unit that receives information related to the map updated by the map information update apparatus from the map information update apparatus via the communication control unit, and the map display control unit controls the display device so as to update the map displayed on the display device based upon the updated information related to the map received at the map information reception unit. The map information update apparatus comprises: a communication control unit that connects with the map display control apparatus via the digital mobile telephone system to engage in exchange of digital data; a map information update reception unit that receives information related to the map currently displayed on the display device from the map display control apparatus via the communication control unit; a map display update data base unit that stores map display data for update related to the map display data utilized by the map display control apparatus; a map information update unit that updates the information related to the map by using the map display data related to the map display data utilized by the map display control apparatus; and an updated map information transmission unit that transmits the information related to the map updated by the map information update unit to the map display control apparatus via the communication control unit.
A navigation system comprises: a current position detection unit that detects a current position thereof; a map display control unit that controls a display device so as to display a map on the display device for road guidance based upon the current position detected by the current position detection unit and map display data; a communication control unit that connects with another control apparatus via a digital mobile telephone system to engage in exchange of digital data; a map information transmission unit that transmits information related to the map currently displayed on the display device to the other control apparatus via the communication control unit; and a map information reception unit that receives information related to the map updated by the other control apparatus from the other control device via the communication control unit, and the map display control unit controls the display device so as to update the map displayed on the display device based upon the updated information related to the map received at the map information reception unit.
A car navigation system comprises: a current position detection unit that detects a current position of a vehicle; a map display control unit that controls a display device so as to display a map on the display device for road guidance based upon the vehicle current position detected by the current position detection unit, map display data and map display control information; a communication control unit that connects with an off-vehicle control apparatus via a digital mobile telephone system to engage in exchange of digital data; and a map information reception unit that receives the map display control information from the off-vehicle control apparatus via the communication control unit.
A map display control method comprises: a map display control step in which a display device is controlled so as to display a map on the display device based upon map display data; a communication control step in which digital data are exchanged with another control apparatus via a digital mobile telephone system; a map information transmission step in which information related to the map currently displayed on the display device is transmitted to the other control apparatus; and a map information reception step in which information related to the map updated by the other control apparatus is received from the other control apparatus, and in the map display control step the display device is controlled so as to update the map displayed on the display device based upon the updated information related to the map received through the map information reception step.
A map information update control method comprises: a communication control step in which digital data are exchanged via a digital mobile telephone system with a map display control apparatus that controls a display device so as to display a map on the display device based upon map display data; a map information update reception step in which information related the map currently displayed on the display device is received from the map display control apparatus; a map information update step in which information related to the map is updated by using map display data which are stored in a map information update device related to map display data utilized by the map display control apparatus; and an updated map information transmission step in which the information related to the map updated through the map information update step is transmitted to the map display control apparatus.
A computer-readable computer program product contains a map display control program used in a map display control apparatus, and the map display control program comprises: map display control instructions for controlling a display device so as to display a map on the display device based upon map display data; communication control instructions for exchanging digital data with another control apparatus via a digital mobile telephone system; map information transmission instructions for transmitting information related to the map currently displayed on the display device to the other control apparatus; and map information reception instructions for receiving information related to the map updated by the other control apparatus from the other control apparatus, wherein: in response to the map display control instructions, the display device is controlled so as to update the map displayed on the display device based upon the updated information related to the map received in response to the map information reception instructions.
A computer-readable computer program product contains a map information update control program used in a map information update apparatus, and the map information update control program comprises: communication control instructions for exchanging digital data with a map display control apparatus, which controls a display device so as to display a map on the display device based upon map display data, via a digital mobile telephone system; map information update reception instructions for receiving information related to the map currently displayed on the display device from the map display control apparatus; map information update instructions for updating information related to the map by using map display data which are stored within the map information update device related to map display data utilized by the map display control apparatus; and update map information transmission instructions for transmitting the information related to the map updated in response to the map information update instructions to the map display control apparatus.
It is preferred that the above computer-readable computer program product is a recording medium on which the control program is recorded.
Or, it is preferred that the above computer-readable computer program product is a carrier wave in which the control program is embodied as a data signal.